


Magnet and Steel

by The_White_Queen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Gifted (TV 2017), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Author Believes in Equivalent Exchange, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Author Manipulates Timelines, F/M, Lorna Dane Is a Badass, Lorna Dane becomes an Avenger, Lorna Dane is Powerful, Lorna/Alex is Brief, Lorna/Bucky is Endgame, M/M, Madelyne Pryor is NOT a Clone, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Siblings, Protective Steve Rogers, She Get's One Anyway, She's her own person, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, They Stay Good Friends Tho, This includes characters, Tony Stark Has A Heart, What’s a Timeline?, and an X-Men, who don't need no man
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24172891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_White_Queen/pseuds/The_White_Queen
Summary: When Nick Fury first dreamed up the Avenger’s Initiative, he didn’t expect mutants. Sure, he knew there were a few sprinkled about the world and he knew of the big named mutants; Charles Xavier, Erik Lensherr, Raven Darkholme. All powerful in their own rights, and the world would benefit from having them on their side when bigger threats emerged.Thus, the Avenger’s Initiative was born. He had plenty of people he’d already approached, like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers; people he’d approach later when a threat did appear, like Doctor Bruce Banner.He needed more power, though. He needed a mutant. Now, Fury knew that there were thousands, millions, of mutants in the world; ripe for the picking.Thankfully for him, there was one sitting in a prison cell with a shiny collar around her neck, cutting off a power that some could only dream of. Power that he needed. Especially, now that there was a threat approaching that the world needed the Avenger’s to fight.Fury closed the file in front of him, the image of the dark green haired young woman with cold pale green eyes burned into his brain.Welcome to the team, Polaris.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov, Clarice Ferguson | Clarice Fong/John Proudstar, Clint Barton/Laura Barton, Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, James "Bucky" Barnes/Lorna Dane, Jean Grey/Scott Summers, Lorna Dane & Erik Lehnsherr & Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff, Lorna Dane & The Avengers, Lorna Dane & the Mutant Underground, Lorna Dane/Alex Summers, Lorna Dane/Marcos Diaz, Madelyne Pryor/Alex Summers, Marcos Diaz/Carmen Guerra, Ororo Munroe/T'Challa, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Scott Lang/Hope Van Dyne, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit nerve-wracking. This is the first story I've posted to this site, and I'm a bit nervous. I hope everyone enjoys!
> 
> Updates every Monday.

Lorna Dane, Polaris, hated her cell. She hated the constricting collar around her neck even more. Lorna didn’t deserve to be in prison. She was just trying to help another mutant get to a safe place. One where she wouldn’t be looked down upon because she was a mutant. A place that could be a home. The Mutant Underground; a place where all mutants could call home.

Lorna groaned, hitting her head against the wall behind her, a restlessness simmering under her skin. She wanted out. She needed out. She took a deep breath, reaching up to clench her fingers around the collar blocking her abilities and pulled. She tried her hardest, focusing on mentally wrapping around the metal and pulling it apart. 

Blood dripped from her nose and she screamed out her frustration and pain. Through her closed eyelids, Lorna could’ve sworn she saw a brief sheen of green mist, but she was too tired to keep trying. Collapsing back into the wall of her cell, she breathed hard, spitting out some blood that dripped into her mouth.

How was she going to last in here? For years? She was already going crazy and it had barely been a couple weeks. 

“Dane!” A guard shouted sharply making Lorna flinch in surprise. Her cell door opened, and two armed guards entered the tiny room and lifted her almost effortlessly. Not knowing what was going on, Lorna screamed and thrashed in their hold. 

“Let me go!” The two guards flanking her ignored her struggles and took her to a room with a big window and a metal table inside with two uncomfortable looking metal chairs. They sat her down, her cuffs clanking harshly against the table. 

Lorna wished that she could feel the hum and vibrations of the metal under her fingertips. It was like having a limb cut off. 

She sat there, waiting, for what felt like hours. She tried again to access her powers, little green sparks misting around her pale fingers for a second before her collar beeped at her, giving her a short shock. “Damnit,” she cursed, waning to claw at the collar again. 

“Hello, Miss Dane,” a deep voice echoed through the room. Her light green eyes jumped to the door. A man in all black leather with a matching leather eye patch over his left eye was standing there. Lorna stayed silent, raising a dark eyebrow. “My name is Nick Fury, and I’m about to be your best friend.”

“Is that so?” She questioned, narrowing her gaze at him as he sat down across from her. “Are you going to get this collar off me?” 

“I’m going to do you one better; I’m going to get you out of here,” he offered. 

“And how do you plan on doing that? Smuggle me under your trench coat?” 

“We will be waking out the front door, Miss Dane.” Her eyes narrowed again, and she tried to clamp down on the little burst of hope that bloomed in her chest.

“What’s the catch?” Fury leaned forward; hands clasped in front of him on the table. 

“ I’m here to talk to you about the Avenger’s Initiative.” Lorna stayed silent as the man went on about what was at stake for the world; both normal human and mutant kind. 

“I’d be out of here? I wouldn’t get arrested for using my powers?” She questioned. 

“As long as you don’t try to kill an innocent, I don’t give a fuck.” She didn’t need any time to think it over. If this threat was as big as Fury predicted, she could change the majority view on how mutants are looked upon by government agency’s and normal, ever day humans. 

“I’m in,” was all Lorna said before holding out her cuffed wrists to the guard still in the room. The guard hesitated, looking at Fury.

“Sir, are you sure? She’s dangerous,” he tried to warn. 

“I’m well aware she’s dangerous, that’s why she’s coming with me - without handcuffs and a collar, so if you’d please stop wasting all of our mother fucking time, I’d appreciate it.” Lorna was impressed with how casual yet in control he sounded. She definitely understood why Fury became the director of SHIELD. Lorna jiggled the cuffs again, and smirked when the guard made some unflattering comments about Fury’s mother as he undid the cuffs. “Collar?” Fury prompted, raising a dark eyebrow over the eyepatch. 

“She’s going to try to kill us if that comes off and you know it,” the guard protested. “Mutants deserve to be locked up.” Suppressing a flinch, Lorna schooled her features and looked at Fury. 

“I will not hurt either of you,” she promised.

“Good enough for me,” Fury shrugged. “Now, get the Goddamn collar off, now.” The guard took a deep breath and leaned towards Lorna. His hand shook as he reached for the collar, passing the key over a section of the collar. It beeped twice before unlocking. Once the collar was off from around her neck, Lorna felt like she could almost cry; that was the first time she’d ever been cut off from her powers. Feeling the hum of the metal around her, she pushed out with her senses, wanting to feel as much as she could around her. 

“Is there anything else?” The guard asked, voice shaking a bit as he warily looked at Lorna with badly veiled distaste. 

“I highly doubt she was arrested in a prison uniform. Her personal belongings would be great.” The more Fury talked the more Lorna was liking his sarcasm. The guard nodded, scurrying out the room. 

“Please teach me how to do that,” Lorna chuckled lowly. Fury just looked at her with his one eye, unnerving her again. Was she making a mistake? 

The guard was back in only a couple minutes and he escorted her to a bathroom where she could change back into the clothes she was wearing when she was arrested. She slid on her black jeans, black band t-shirt that was so worn you couldn’t even see who the artist was – though she was pretty sure it was Metallica. Maybe Iron Maiden – and slipped her black leather jacket on over the shirt. Lorna grabbed her steel-toed boots with thick, inch- high heels and slid them on and wrapped her metal bracelets back around both wrists. 

She had a small make up kit in the bag she had been carrying so she quickly applied some dark eyeliner with some gray eyeshadow before deciding she was done. She looked more like herself that she had in weeks. 

Exiting the bathroom, she saw more guards stationed by the door and she shot Fury a look as she made her way over to him. “They think you’re going to try to kill everyone here,” he supplied, bored. 

“If only,” was Lorna’s reply as she glared at the people that had hurt her while she was in prison. 

“Let’s go.” 

They exited the building, Lorna feeling the glares being shot at her back. She resisted the urge to turn around and wave, maybe blow a kiss, but decided against it. “Where to now?” 

“We’re going to meet some of the team.” 

~~

So far, the rest of the team were two spies; Agents Barton and Romanov. Barton didn’t seem to have any issues with her, but Romanov kept giving Lorna distrustful looks. She must have had a bad run in with a mutant. Or maybe she just didn’t like new people. Lorna hardly cared. If the redhead spy tried anything, she could take her down. Romanov was carrying enough metal on her that the metal manipulator could lay her out in a matter of seconds. And, oh? Was that a metal rod in her leg Lorna could feel the hum of? She thinks so. 

“Oh, good, you’ve met,” a man said, coming up behind Lorna. She turned, raising an eyebrow. “I’m Agent Phil Coulson. I see you’ve met Hawkeye and Black Widow. Agents, this is Lorna Dane; Polaris.” 

“We know,” Romanov replied, voice clipped. “We’ve seen her file.” 

“Lengthy read,” Barton piped in. “Makes you interesting.” 

“Or dangerous,” Romanov added, staring at her with icy eyes that could easily rival Lorna’s own. The green-haired woman smirked. 

“Why not both? I’m sure we’ve all been through some shit that’s shaped us into who we are. I know for a fact that both of yours must be as colorful as mine,” Lorna defended. Both spies were silent, but Romanov’s eyes narrowed. Wow, she really didn’t like Lorna. 

“Miss Dane? Come with me. I’ll show you were you’ll be staying for now.” Lorna nodded, and followed the man into SHIELD HQ. “Normally, trainees don’t stay here, but you aren’t going to be here for long. Fury has it scheduled for you to be here for two months. During that time, you will strengthen your hand-to-hand and weapon combat skills. You will train with Agents Barton and Romanov.” Oh, joy, Lorna thought. “Once the two months are up, you will be moving to another facility; one headed by Professor Xavier.” Lorna’s eyes widened. 

“You’re sending me to the mutant school? I’m not a child.” 

“No, but we believe with Professor Xavier training you, you can become more powerful and have better control.” She frowned, understanding where he was coming from, but not liking it. “Get some rest. Your training starts tomorrow.” Coulson left after a sharp nod in her direction and left the room. 

Lorna dropped her things on the twin bed and looked around. The room was pretty plain. White sheets with a gray comforter. Light gray walls. A small desk in the corner. A small closet that could probably hold a few outfits, if Lorna had any more. A small dresser with a lamp next to the bed, and a bathroom opposite of the closet. The bathroom was plain, too. White tiled floors, a standard shower stall, a white sink, and a toilet. 

She should really talk to Fury about who was hired for internal decorating. Lorna slid off her jacket and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked down at her hands, smiling as the green mist wrapped around her fingers as she focused her energy on the steel in her boots and the metal bracelets around each wrist, and lifted. 

Lorna reached the ceiling much faster than she meant to, but she still let out a laugh of pure relief after feeling her power ebbing and flowing through her, eyes closing in pure contentment. 

Of course, that was broken with a knock on the door. Pale green eyes opening, Lorna lowered herself slowly, and once her feet were on the ground, she made her way to the door. She was surprised to see Romanov standing there. “May I help you?” She questioned, regarding the woman a bit coldly for earlier comments. Romanov said nothing, just handed her a bundle of clothes. 

“Something to sleep in,” was all the redhead said before turning. “Oh, and don’t think we’ll be taking it easy on you tomorrow,” she added before silently moving down the hallway without a backwards glance, her red curls bouncing down her back with each movement. Lorna looked down at the clothes and saw it was a plain white tank top and some gray leggings. Nice of them, she supposed. 

Lorna took a quick shower, noticing that the room came equipped with some basic bathroom necessities, like shampoo, conditioner, and a body wash. None of them had relatively pleasant scents, but they got the job done and that was all that mattered. 

After getting dressed in the clothes provided by Romanov, Lorna climbed into the not-so-comfortable bed. Reaching over to turn off the lamp, she burrowed down into the thin pillows. 

Well, at least it beats prison.


	2. Meeting the X-Men

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post a day early. Hope everyone enjoys!

Agent Romanov was not lying. They did not take it easy on her. Lorna was given normal training clothes; a black long- sleeved, form fitted shirt with some black work out leggings and some black tennis shoes. She was ordered not to use her powers and had to rely solely on her combat skills. 

Up against super spies, it turns out she doesn’t have any combat skills. Lorna got her ass _handed_ to her for ten hours. Her muscles ached just thinking about training the next day. Turns out, that fear was justified. The entire week was spent wiping Lorna’s face in the mats. 

Thankfully, she was getting better. She still couldn’t beat Widow and Hawkeye in a fair fight, but by the second week, she had taken down three other agents. Using her thighs as a weapon never occurred to her until Romanov had attempted to strangle her a few dozen times. It came in handy.

The third week she was taught weaponry; specifically, knives. Lorna had plenty of experience with knives, but the ones she was training with were ceramic and not metal. The object felt so foreign in her hands and she learned pretty quickly the pinpoint accuracy she had was only due to her powers. “Wow, you suck,” Barton commented when Lorna missed for the third time.

“Would you shut up?” She snapped, a bit of green mist danced around her fingers and the large metal table with all of the weapons strewn about shook and groaned. 

“Would you throw the damn knife?” Barton quipped back. Lorna’s jaw snapped shut and whirled around, throwing the knife at the target. She didn’t hit the center, but she managed to hit the target itself. “Not bad. As cool as your powers are, you rely on them too much. You also rely on your anger too much, as well. Calm yourself, take a breath, and try again.”

Lorna realized at that moment that Barton was a much better teacher than Romanov. He didn’t seem to have the same icy demeanor to mutants as the redhead did. They practiced for a couple more hours and, as difficult as it was for her to admit, Lorna appreciates it getting trained by an expert marksman. 

“So,” she started, drawing out the vowel. “Why does Romanov hate me so much?”

“She doesn’t hate you,” Barton denied quickly. Lorna raised an eyebrow. “Okay, she totally hates you.”

“Is it because I’m a mutant?” He shrugged. 

“That’s not my story to tell, Kid.” 

“I’m an adult, Agent Barton. Don’t call me kid.”

~~~

The rest of her time at SHIELD HQ passed by quickly. Lorna and Barton had developed a somewhat friendship and she and Romanov had a mutual respect for each other, but still mostly disliked each other.

Next stop; Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. An unmarked black SUV dropped her off in front of the large gates keeping the outside world away from the school. Thankfully they let her stop and get some clothes. Since it was on SHIELDS’ dime, though, they weren’t anything special. “Good luck,” Coulson said, motioning for Lorna to get out.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, giving him a sloppy two fingered salute before shutting the door behind her, adjusting the bag’s strap on her shoulder. As she stepped up to the gage, it opened, and she made her way to up to the big mansion at the top of a hill. On the porch was a man, probably in his thirties or forties, sitting in a wheelchair. He had a pleasant smile on his face as he greeted her.

“Hello, you must be miss Lorna Dane. I’m professor Charles Xavier.” 

“Nice to meet you,” she responded.

“Please, follow me, and I will take you to your room for the duration of your time here.” Lorna nodded and followed him to an elevator where they went up to the third floor and down a long hallway. “This is your room,” Professor Xavier said, motioning to the third door on the right. “Bathroom is down the hall, first door on your right. Please settle in and dinner will be ready in two hours.” Lorna watched him wheel away and then faced the bedroom.

It was the opposite of the SHIELD room she was staying in. Where that one felt cold and chrome, this one was warm and earthy. The king-sized bed was placed against the middle of the far wall of the room with rich mahogany dressers and an armoire. How much clothing did he think Lorna would bring with her? 

She opened her bag and started putting her sparse clothing away and shed her leather jacket, leaving her in a black V-neck tee-shirt with some dark green pants and her signature black steel-toed boots. Lorna sat down on the bed, playing with one of the clunky long-chained necklaces around her neck, wondering how this had become her life. 

A little over two months ago, she had still been the co-leader of the Mutant Underground with, who she thought, was the love of her life, Marcos Diaz. Marcos decided to go back to his roots and help the Guerra Cartel with his previous girlfriend, Carmen Guerra. Lorna wasn’t even sure if Marcos still considered them dating or if he even knew she was out of prison. Did he even care? Probably not if Carmen got her claws back into him.

She sighed, pushing those thoughts from her mind and it took her a moment to realize that she had activated her powers and she was lazily twirling a knife between her fingers, hand incased in the green mist. Lorna quickly grabbed the knife and with a dismissive wave of her hand, the mist evaporated. She looked at the time and saw about thirty minutes had gone by. 

She fell back into the bed and set an alarm on her phone for an hour. She closed her eyes.

She needed a nap.

~~~

Once her hour was up, Lorna exited the room and walked down the hall to the staircase. She saw a blonde around her age, maybe a bit older, talking to a teenager with the same shade of blonde hair and red sunglasses covering his eyes. “I didn’t mean to set the fire!” The younger spat, ripping his arm out of the grasp the older had on his upper arm.

“I know you didn’t mean to, Scott, but you know you can’t take those glasses off,” the older protested. 

“It was an accident,” the younger, Scott, stressed. “I wouldn’t do something like that on purpose, Alex.” 

“I know, buddy, but you’re still new to this. You got your gift a month ago. Just be more careful,” Alex soothed, playfully ruffling Scott’s hair. Definitely brothers, Lorna mused. 

She walked closer, making some noise so she didn’t startle them. The brothers looked over at the same time, and Alex smiled. “So, you’re the new mutant we’ve taken in. I’m Alex Summers,” he introduced, reaching forward to shake her hand. 

“Lorna Dane.”

“I’m Scott Summers; Cyclops,” Scott added proudly. “Alex goes by Havok.” Lorna raised an eyebrow. 

“Polaris. There must be some interesting stories behind names like those,” she commented. 

“Just wait until you see us in action,” Alex tossed back with a smirk. 

“Can’t wait.” The two stared at each other for a few moments, broken out of their dazes by Scott. 

“I’m starving. Is dinner ready?” Alex looked at his phone and nodded.

“Yep, let’s go,” he said, ushering his brother down the hall first and then playfully bowing in Lorna’s direction. “My lady.” 

“Kind sir,” she joked in kind with him, allowing him to lead her to a large dinning room. 

“What’s for dinner, Professor?” Alex questioned as soon as he stepped into the room. Professor Xavier looked at the blonde a bit sheepishly. 

“Well, it was supposed to be turkey, but I foolishly allowed Raven to try and cook,” he started, shooting a blue woman a dark look. The woman shrugged, yellow eyes gleaming humorously at the wheelchair bound older man.

“It’s your own fault, Charles, you know I can’t cook,” she defeated with a wicked grin. Professor Xavier sighed, rubbing a hand over his dark hair. He glanced behind Alex and locked eyes with Lorna and smiled pleasantly again.

“Ah, I see you’ve met our guest!” He motioned for her to step forward. “Miss Dane, it looks like you’ve already met Alex and Scott. This is my sister, Raven,” he introduced, motioning to the blue woman with red hair.

“Mystique,”she corrected. 

“Behind you is Doctor Hank McCoy-”

“We call him Beast,” Alex grinned. Lorna turned and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Can’t see why,” she joked lowly so only Alex could hear her. He snorted and Lorna shook hands with another blue being. This one, however, was very furry with green eyes hidden behind thick rimmed glasses. 

“Nice to meet you, Lorna,” Hank said, sounding distracted as he looked over some paperwork in his hands. Two teenagers walked in after him, one with red hair and the other with white. 

“Ororo Munroe,” the girl with white hair said, shaking Lorna’s hand excitedly. She had dark, friendly eyes, and her white hair almost flowed against her mocha skin. She was very pretty. 

“Lorna Dane.” The other girl stepped up after Ororo walked past Lorna to the table. As the redhead got closer, Lorna stiffened. After rescuing as many mutants as she had during her time as leader of the Mutant Underground, she could tell when there was a lot of power in someone. And this girl? Power was simmering dangerously under her skin. All of Lorna’s instincts were telling her to get out of her way. 

“Hi,” the redhead murmured, almost shyly. “I’m Jean Grey. It’s nice to meet you, Lorna.” When they shook hands, Jean’s head tilted curiously. 

“Telepath?” Lorna questioned, pulling away. Jean blinked and took a step back.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I’m working on it, but yes, low level telepath. And telekinetic.” 

“Impressive,” Lorna commented and the two walked fully into the dinning room to take their seats. Lorna sat herself next to Alex with an empty spot on her left, while Jean sat next to Scott and Ororo. “I figured there’d more people, this being a school and all,” Lorna said, leaning back in her chair. 

“It’s not fully a school yet,” a deep voice commented behind her. She turned a bit to see a few people walk in, each carrying about five pizzas. “I’m glad you told me Raven was cooking, Charles, or we’d be starving.” The man had reddish brown hair and blue eyes. Lorna recognized him easily. Erik Lensherr; Magneto. The only person who could understand her mutation. 

“I’m very grateful for your forward thinking, my friend,” Professor replied warmly.

“Does no one trust my cooking?” Raven questioned, affronted.

“No,” Professor Xavier answered. She stared muttering under her breath and Lorna snorted quietly when she caught ‘asshole brothers and their stupid boyfriends.’ 

“One of the people with Lensherr looked like the devil. Literally. Red skin and a pointed tail that was flicking back and forth. There was another man with them; he seemed quiet and drawn. Definitely a watcher. He had shoulder length dark hair and dark eyes. 

Finally, there was a woman with them, probably around Lorna’s age. She had skin a bit lighter than Ororo’s and almond shaped dark eyes. She was thin and short, and her mouth seemed to be permanently in a frown.

“Lorna, allow me to introduce Azazel,” the devil looking guy. “Janos Quested,”the man with brown hair, “and Angel Salvadore,” the bitchy looking one. “The man with them is Erik Lensherr. Everyone, this Lorna Dane.” 

“What’s your power, new girl?” Angel questioned, plopping down in the seat across from Lorna. The green-haired girl raised a dark eyebrow at the tone Angel was using. Lorna raised her right hand, the green mist circling through her fingers and a spoon from the kitchen flew into her waiting palm. 

“Telekinesis?” Jean questioned, looking excited at having someone else like her with them.

“Not quite; ElectroMagnetokinesis,” Lorna corrected. Erik looked surprised. 

“You’re a metal manipulator?” She nodded. 

“It’s the main reason I wasn’t too upset being sent here; who better to learn more about metal manipulation than from the best?”

“I’m glad _someone_ acknowledges I’m the best,” Erik preened, giving Professor Xavier a look. The brunette sighed and Lorna knew they’d had a similar discussion many times. Erik’s eyebrows furrowed suddenly, and he looked over at her. “You said your last name is Dane?” She nodded slowly. 

“Yeah?” He opened his mouth to ask more questions, but sensing the direction was heading, Professor Xavier cut him off. 

“I believe it’s time for food! I’m sure you agree, Lorna. I doubt they fed you well at SHIELD,” he added, and she took no time to reach for a slice of cheese pizza. 

“You got that right.”

~~~

Monday morning, Lorna was sitting cross-legged in front of Professor Xavier’s wheelchair as he coached her through finding her ‘inner peace’. What does that even mean? “Clear your mind, Lorna,” he ordered gently as she took a deep breath. “I’ve grazed the surface of your mind and you are exceedingly close to Erik in terms of anger and resentment.”

“Life’s not fair,” she spat, eyes still closed, while the turbulent thoughts of the riots and protests against mutants, against her, raged in her head. 

“I need you to think about the happiest moment of your life,” Xavier gently pushed, voice as soft as a lullaby. “Think about the moment in your life where you had true peace.” 

Lorna thought back; at first, thoughts of Marcos popped into her head. The first time they had sex, the first ‘I love you’. None of them seemed right, though. They made her happy, sure, but they were always hiding. Always fighting for their kind that she never felt truly at peace with him.

So, she thought back further. 

She started remembering her childhood; before her abilities manifested. Before her stepfather accidentally killed himself and her mother in a plane crash. 

The perfect memory came to her like a gentle sea breeze. She and her mother, Suzanna, were lying on the grass in their backyard. Suzanna was pointing at the different constellations, naming them for Lorna. “ _See that one, baby? That constellation is Aries, and that one is Pisces._ ”

“ _That’s me!_ ” Lorna had cried in delight. “ _I’m a Pisces!_ ”

“ _That’s right, baby._ ” Suzanna’s green eyes looked at her with so much love that Lorna thought her heart would burst. 

Her eyes opened up, a few tears spilling down her cheeks. “There you go,” Xavier murmured lowly. “Keep a hold of that memory; that’s your peace.”

“I didn’t even know I still had that,” she sniffed, rubbing the mascara she was sure was staining her cheeks off with the sleeve of the SHIELD issued training outfit. 

“We always find the memories we’ve buried so deeply are the ones we need the most.” Her pale green eyes shot up to him. 

“Thank you, Professor,” she said gratefully. He smiled at her.

“Of course. Now, I believe it’s time for lunch, and then Erik will most likely sink his claws into you for some more training.” Lorna grinned. She couldn’t wait.

During lunch, Alex sat next to her and the two flirted; constantly. Scott had grumbled something about the two just fucking and getting it over with. “Soon, I’m sure,” was Lorna’s answer as she gave Alex a wink and sauntered off to find the other metal manipulator.

She found him a few minutes later in the weight room, staring out of the large window. She knocked on the doorframe softly, letting him know she was there. He turned and motioned for her to join him. “I assume Charles did his ‘find your inner peace’ lecture?” He questioned. 

“That he did,” she confirmed. 

“How much do you know about your parents?” Lorna frowned, tilting her head in contemplation. 

“Well, my mother’s name was Suzanna, my father was named Arnold, and when he and my mother died, his sister and brother-in-law, the Danes, took me in,” she summarized. “They kicked me out when my mutation came online when I was about ten, or so.” 

“Suzanna,” he muttered, a bit distractedly. “What year were you born?”

“Eighty-eight.” His eyebrows furrowed again, and he paled. “You’re doing the math, huh?” Lorna mused, backing away from him and sitting down on the weight bench. His blue eyes snapped to her.

“What? You know?”

“That you're most likely my father? Yeah, I’m actually pretty intelligent and know that two plus two equals four,” she snarked. 

“Is that the real reason you came here? To meet me?” He questioned. 

“I’m twenty-five years old, Erik. I stopped needing a dad a long time ago. You’re the only other person with ElectroMagnetokinesis. Who else could I learn from?” Erik’s eye twitched, but Lorna had no sympathy. Maybe if he’d stuck around, she would’ve had a decent childhood. He seemed like he wanted to ask more questions, and Lorna didn’t want to answer them. “Look, can we get to some training? Or do we have to bookmark it while you get emotional?” Erik’s eyes hardened and he nodded.

“Training. Can you stop a bullet?” Lorna smirked. 

“I’ve stopped many bullets; you ever been chased by Sentinel Services? They _love_ shooting at mutants,” she replied, growing bored. 

“Alright, move that,” he ordered, pointing out of the window they were just staring at. She peeked at what he was pointing to.

“A giant satellite dish? Three to four miles away?” She looked at him in surprise. 

“Yes. _move it,_ ” he ordered again. 

“I can’t. It’s too big, too far away.” Erik held out a hand silently and turned his head towards the satellite dish. Lorna followed his gaze and watched in awe as the dish moved towards them fluidly. 

It seemed to have taken zero effort. 

“You’ve been practicing for eighty years, of course you can do it,” she scoffed, crossing her thin arms over her chest.

“I’m forty-five,” he admonished, looking a bit insulted. “You’ll get there. With practice and control. We’ll pick this up tomorrow. You still look exhausted from the mental scrubbing with Charles,” he dismissed, turning on his heel and walking out the door. 

Lorna’s mouth twisted in displeasure. He didn’t teach her a damn thing. What was she even doing here if no one was going to teach her how to strengthen her gift? The only thing she learned is that she had found a fond memory of her mother buried deep, deep inside of herself that could still make her cry. 

Letting out a frustrated yell, Lorna stalked over to the punching bag and began to punch. Repeatedly. One of things Barton and Romanov taught her was letting her emotions fester would lead to her loosing control. She didn’t want or need the headache that would inevitably follow that type of blow out. 

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, her knuckles red and raw, before a voice shocked her out of her angry mindset. “You need to wrap your hands.” She flinched at the sudden intrusion and looked up. Alex was leaning against the doorframe, a small smirk adorning his handsome face. 

“Just wanted a quick workout,” she explained, swiping a piece of dark green shoulder length hair off of her sweaty forehead. 

“I can think of other ways to work up a sweat,” he flirted. 

“Wanna show me?” She shot back, sauntering towards him. He grinned and the next thing she knew, Lorna’s back was pressed against a soft mattress that definitely wasn’t hers, and Alex’s mouth crashed down on hers as his weight settled on top of her. 

Maybe this place wasn’t too bad.


	3. Stress Relief

Stretching, Lorna sat up in Alex’s bed and blinked blearily at the sun peeking through the slightly open curtains. She turned her head and looked at the clock; half past seven. A warm hand smoothed down her bare back, and she looked back to smile at Alex. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” he greeted, voice hoarse. 

“Thanks for being a good stress reliever,” Lorna joked, sliding off the bed to slip her underwear and bra back on and put the tee shirt Alex was wearing the day before on.

“Anytime. By the way, you look good in my clothes,” he remarked, getting out of bed himself and pulling his briefs on. She just smiled at him and gathered up the rest of her clothes and shoes. 

“What time can we expect more people to be up?” She questioned. 

“Breakfast is at nine, so really anytime. I’d hurry, though, if you want to grab a shower first,” he offered. 

“Good idea.” Lorna walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss. “I think this will be the start of a beautiful friendship,” he added. 

“Agreed.” 

Lorna peeked her head around the doorframe after opening the door to make sure that the hallway was clear, and tip-toed to her own room. She reached it in a minute or two and as she was reaching for the doorknob, she heard movement behind her and stiffened. “Walk of shame?” Lorna turned her head and saw Raven standing there, eyes alight with amusement. “And is that the shirt Alex was wearing yesterday?” The amusement brightened. “Was he good?” 

“So good,” Lorna whispered, pushing the door open as Raven laughed. She shut the door behind her and fell on to her bed. She can’t believe this did that. Sure, she enjoyed sleeping with Alex. He was good in bed, attractive and an attentive lover during sex. She felt she was cheating on Marcos, though. They technically hadn’t broken up. 

Lorna missed Marcos. There was no denying that. She missed his dark, expressive eyes. The shy smile he’d give her when it was just the two of them. She missed the way the aurora borealis would light up around them when they kissed. Was he still hers to miss still? 

She suddenly couldn’t wait to be finished with all the training. It was part of the deal that she has no contact with the outside world for the four months she’d be away, so there was no way she could contact him, or anyone from the Underground. Her chest ached with want, with _need_ to see her friends again. 

With a renewed strength, Lorna gathered up some clothes for the day and made her way to the bathroom down the hall. The bathroom still looked in pristine condition, so she knew she was the first to use it that morning. 

She spent most the shower thinking about Marcos and her friends, wondering how they were doing, when there was a knock on the door. “Just a minute!” She shouted, quickly shutting of the water. 

“Lorna? Can I come in and take a leak?” Lorna rolled her eyes, hearing Alex, and with a wave of her hand, the door unlocked and swung open. Alex walked in, now clad in a pair of sweats and a plain white tee. He did his business while she dried off, pulling her growing hair into a wet ponytail and slipping on some black leggings, a dark green sports bra, and a black V-neck long sleeved shirt. As she slipped on a pair of dark green converse, Alex questioned, “would you like to go for a run with me before breakfast?” Lorna nodded. 

“Sure, meet you outside in five?” He nodded and they exited the bathroom together and were met with an icy stare. Lorna felt a blush creep across her face as Erik stared them both down. 

“I’ll see you in a minute,” Alex said, walking away from the awkward situation. Lorna moved to do the same, but Erik stopped her. 

“Is he treating you right?” Lorna threw up her hands in frustration as she whirled around to face him. 

“We aren’t dating! We’re having fun, that’s it. What, are you deciding to be a father now after almost twenty-six years?” 

“I didn’t _know_ , Lorna!” He snapped. “You can’t punish me for not being there when Suzanna never told me she was pregnant.” He took a step back and ran a hand through his hair. “She was married, and we only slept together once. Even if I did know she was pregnant, I probably would have assumed you were her husbands’. She probably thought the same thing.” 

“I know you didn’t know,” Lorna assured with an eye-roll. “But I have twenty plus years of daddy issues to work through. Let me be angry.” She stalked off down the hallway and down the stairs to meet Alex at the front doors. He was waiting, still in a pair of sweatpants, but he had a sweatshirt pulled over the tee and some black sneakers on. 

“You good?” He questioned. She nodded. 

“Yep. Now, are you ready to eat my dust?”

~~~

After a few weeks she and Alex still had sex to blow off steam, but they both agreed that there were no feelings involved, but a deep friendship developed between them. She and Charles meditated to help her find her inner peace more easily and help her clear her head.

Lorna and Raven sparred daily, both enjoying the competition. She had also met one of the other twenty-somethings in the house; Sean Cassidy, or Banshee. She found out about his gift when she was woken up to loud shriek from outside and breaking glass. She also could’ve sworn that she heard Hank let out a loud growl. Though, it might have been her.

She helped Jean with her telekinesis. Lorna would lift metal objects and would have Jean attempt to push against her hold. 

Lorna and Erik were a whole other story all together. She understood where he was coming from. She wasn’t stupid. She just hated that her childhood suffered because of him. 

They talked after a couple weeks of silence; he admitted to Lorna what his childhood was like as a Jewish citizen in a concentration camp. What Shaw did to him. She talked about what it was like with Danes, what it was like living on the streets after her powers manifested. What she accomplished in the Underground with John Proudstar at her side at first, and then with Marcos joining them. Her abandonment insecurities concerning Marcos and their relationship.

Lorna decided to give him a chance to be her father; he wholeheartedly accepted. Their training got better after that rift between them was broken.

The last week she was with them, Lorna moved the satellite dish. They had a celebratory dinner in her honor that night. “Why don’t you stay here?” Ororo questioned. “Do you have to go back?” 

“As much as I would like to stay, I have to go back to Georgia. The Mutant Underground needs me, too,” she sighed. Lorna did truly want to stay with them. The Westchester County mansion felt like _home_. Maybe even more than the Underground did, which she didn’t even think was possible. 

They had become her, dare she say it, _family_. 

“We’re going to miss you,” Jean said, morosely.

“I’m going to miss you all, too.” 

Later that night, she and Alex were lying in her bed, her head was pillowed on his grey cotton-clad chest, her dark green hair haloed around her. She hadn’t cut it since prison, so her hair was now almost to the bottom of her shoulder blades. Alex traced a lazy pattern lightly into the bare skin of her arm as they cuddled. “Do you think you and Marcos are going to work things out?” He questioned. Lorna shrugged half-heartedly. 

“I don’t know. I want to say yes, but I’ve barely thought about him for the past four months. How is that fair to him? I used to think that he was the _one_. The love of my life. I don’t think he is anymore,” she mused. She lifted her head slightly to rest her chin against his chest so that she could meet his eyes. “What about you? Did you ever think you found her? Or him?” He rolled his eyes at the comment. “What? I don’t judge.” 

“No, there was never a him. There were a couple of girls; a nurse named Annie. After her, there was a girl named Scarlett; I thought we were it, you know? She was around when my abilities manifested; she talked me into locking myself up. I almost hurt her once. Blew a giant hole in the side of her apartment during an argument.” Lorna rubbed her hand soothingly along his side. 

“I’m so sorry, Al.” 

“Don’t be. I’m sure she’s around somewhere. Just have to find her. Although, I don’t know how anyone is going to top you in bed, Lore,” he teased, tightening his hold on her playfully. 

“I am quite a catch, obviously. Once you find her, you know I’m going to need to meet her, right? She needs the best friend approval.” 

“Well, duh,” he answered and pulled her closer, nuzzling his face into her hair. “No, go to sleep. I’m tired.” Lorna smiled and closed her eyes. 

Yeah, this was family.

~~~

“You can’t leave!” Ororo yelled, her arms tight around Lorna’s waist. The older woman ruffled the teen’s shock of white hair fondly.

“This isn’t going to be the last time you see me, Stormy. I _promise_.” Ororo pulled away and Jean took her place. 

“Who’s going to toss around a metal ball without physically touching it with me?” Lorna’s gaze snapped to Erik for a moment and then back to Jean. The redhead’s nose scrunched up. “Erik? Absolutely not. He’d probably aim for my head.” 

“Heard that,” Erik piped in, making Lorna snicker in amusement. Charles wheeled himself forward and smiled up at her, his blue eyes shining with warmth. 

“Take care of yourself, Lorna. I only spoke with Director Fury for a few moments, but I feel he knows something is coming that he wants to use you to fight,” he warned. “Keep your wits about you, and please check in every once in a while. Come back anytime; this is your home now, too.” Lorna’s pale green eyes misted over and she bent down to give the telepath a tight hug. 

Erik was next; he didn’t say anything at first, just cupped her face gently in his large palms. “Stay safe,” he ordered. “I can’t lose another member of my family.” 

“I’ll be fine,” she replied softly. “I was trained by the best.” He wrapped his arms around her tightly for a couple moments before pulling away and taking a step back. Lorna didn’t take it to heart; she learned early on that Erik wasn’t big on emotions or public displays of affection. 

Scott hugged her for a quick second, Hank and Raven following. Azazel and Janos just gave her respectful nods as a sendoff. She didn’t really talk to them much, they mainly stuck together with Angel and Erik, but she and Azazel surprisingly bonded over burnt pancakes at three o’clock in the morning once and she Janos sat quietly in the library one cold night. The fire was roaring as a soothing background noise from the fireplace as they each read their own books quietly. 

Angel, however, was a whole other story. The two never seemed to be able to get along. The other woman’s nose crinkled slightly in a sneer and turned away down the hall. Lorna rolled her eyes. Stuck up bitch. 

Her splash of anger quickly dried up as Alex smiled at her and lifted her in a hug. He put her back down and reached into his pocket for a piece of paper. “Here’s my cellphone number. Once you get your phone back, text me to let me know you’re alive, please.” 

“Will do.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It was fun, handsome.” 

“You’re still my favorite, beautiful.” They smiled brightly at each other before a throat cleared. Lorna turned her head to see Phil Coulson standing there in his signature immaculately pressed suit.

“Coulson,” she greeted coolly. 

“Miss Dane,” he replied in kind. “Nice to see you again.” 

“Likewise.” 

“Are you ready? There’s a jet waiting to take you back to Georgia.” She nodded, giving everyone one last tearful goodbye before following him out to what looked like the same unmarked SUV that brought her to Charles’ school two months previous. 

The drive to the airport was silent. Lorna stared out the window as a red metal amulet Erik had given her once she gave him a change twirling lazily in the air between her fingers. They reached the airstrip quickly and Lorna saw Fury waiting on the tarmac. “Looks like the school did wonders for you,” he commented as soon as she walked towards him. Someone took her bags from her and she raised an eyebrow at Fury. 

“What‘s next?” 

“What’s next is you go back to the Mutant Underground and try not to get arrested again,” he ordered as he handed her a new cellphone. “All of the information from your old phone has been programed into this one. Including my number. You see my name flash across that screen, you fucking _answer_. Do you understand?” The seriousness in his eyes made any smart-ass retort she had planned freeze on her tongue. 

“Understood,” she answered, looking down at the phone now in her hands. Newest Starkphone. Nice. “You call, I answer.” 

“Damn right. Now get the hell out of here.” She nodded and boarded the jet. It was a private jet, so there was no one else in there with her except Coulson. He watched _Supernanny_ the whole flight and Lorna sent a quick text of the view out of the jet to Alex to make him jealous. 

“We’re approaching Atlanta.” Lorna looked out the window and her heart jumped from her chest and into her throat. 

This was it.

~~~

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Marcos Diaz ran a hand through his dark brown hair tiredly. For the past four months, he had been going behind the members of the Underground’s backs to help his ex-girlfriend, Carmen Guerra, smuggle drugs across the Mexican border. Again. As well as smuggle mutants across the border before Sentinel Services could get to them. Like Lorna. God, he missed Lorna. Sentinel Services arrested his girlfriend almost five months previous while they were trying to get a fellow mutant, Clarice, out of their sights and to safety. The managed to achieve their goal, but Lorna was the price.

Could he even call her his girlfriend anymore? He had no idea where she was or what she was doing. He, on the other hand, had been sleeping with Carmen for about three months. At first, it was just to get her help in finding a way to break Lorna out of prison, but old feelings emerged from the depths he buried them in, and Marcos fell back in love with the newly appointed drug lord. 

“Marcos!” John, or Thunderbird as some would call him, called out loudly. Marcos stood up quickly and took off towards his friend. He rounded a corner and John, Clarice, and Sonya were standing in front of the building doors. Sonya looked over at him, dark brown eyes shining worriedly. 

“Someone is approaching the barrier,” she conveyed. Marcos nodded, already feeling the warmth spreading to his palms as he prepared himself for a fight. Clarice put her hands close together, curling her fingers as she waited for instructions to blink them out of there. 

“Do we know who this is yet?” Marcos questioned. John’s head tilted, using his gift to see who it was. His dark eyes widened. 

“Oh my God; it’s Lorna!” Sonya immediately took off outside, wanting to see her best friend for herself. Marcos, John, and Clarice followed at a more sedated pace. They stepped out of the building and Marcos saw Sonya hugging a slim woman. When they pulled away, his breath caught in his throat. 

There she was; Lorna. Her hair was much longer than it was the last time he saw her and curly. The black hair dye that she used to hide in plain sight was gone and her natural dark green locks were cascading down her back. Her eyes were still the same pale green, but maybe a bit less jaded. She was still slim but looked like she had gained a bit of muscle. Her style of clothing didn’t change either. She was wearing some dark jeans tucked into her pair of steel toed boots, a tight black tee with a spiked-shouldered leather jacket covering it. 

Her eyes met his. “Hey, Marcos.” That did it. 

“Where the hell have you been?!” He exploded. Clarice flinched away from his side, Sonya and John taking a couple steps back. Lorna didn’t even seem phased. “We tried for so long to find out which prison you were at and worrying you were moved, and we didn’t know! I thought I’d never see you again,” he finished. 

“I think we have a lot to talk about,” was all she said and then looked around. “ _All_ of us.”

~~~

After three hours, Lorna told them as much as she was allowed. She obviously couldn’t let them know about SHIELD or the Avengers Initiative, but she could tell them about the school and about meeting her father. After a brief silence, John was the first to voice that they should all get some rest and regroup in the morning with clearer heads. Everyone agreed and went their separate ways.

It was at that time that Lorna realized a problem; she and Marcos shared her room. “I’ll take a couch,” Marcos spoke from behind her. 

“Are you sure?” She questioned. “You can still share with me.” He shook his head. 

“Doesn’t seem right.” He paused for a heartbeat. “You and that Alex guy you mentioned – did you sleep with him?” 

“Yes,” she answered. She couldn’t lie to Marcos. “You and Carmen?” He nodded. 

“Yes. We got back together.” Lorna understood, but it still hurt to hear. “You and I; we’re done, aren’t we?” He asked, voice breaking a bit at the end. 

“I think so. I’ll always love you, Marcos, but-”

“It’s never going to be the same again,” he finished. She nodded, tearing up. That was it. She and Marcos had finally come to their end after months of both of them agonizing over the thought of cheating. “I figured saying it out loud would feel wrong,” he mused. “But it doesn’t.” 

“It feels right,” she agreed. 

“I love you, Lorna,” he whispered, moving forward to snatch one final kiss from his beloved Magnet girl. She kissed back; cheeks wet from tears. 

“I love you, Marcos.” 

For the first time since she and Marcos got together, she went to their, now only her, bedroom to fall asleep alone.

~~~

**Location: UNKNOWN; Classified SHIELD Base**

Clint Barton watched the SHIELD employed nerds running around the room below him as the tesseract they were running tests on started acting funny. Director Fury was walking into the room with Doctor Eric Selvig next to him. Fury called to Clint and he roped down. They spoke for a few moments before Clint voiced an idea. 

“What if it’s like a doorway? They open from both sides.” Selvig mused that it was a possibility as the tesseract glowed for a second and there was a bright light before a lean figure appeared on a metal crate. He had a staff with him that was glowing and when he looked up, Clint recognized his features. It was one of those self-proclaimed Gods that leveled a tiny New Mexico town. 

“I am Loki, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.” Clint had his bow armed and ready, aiming at Loki when he heard Fury speak. 

“We have no quarrel with you,” he spoke. 

“An ant has no quarrel with a boot,” was Loki’s quick response. 

“Are you planning to step on us?” Fury questioned incredulously.

The seconds after were a blur in Clint’s mind and when he finally stopped to pay attention, it was at the exact moment the tip of Loki’s staff hit his chest. A blue haze overtook his mind and Clint knew no more.


	4. Called In

“’Ro, I promise I’ll come back to the mansion in a couple weeks,” Lorna said for the third time while on the phone with Ororo. The white-haired girl had been begging her to come back and live with them instead of at the Mutant Underground. Jean had urged the same, but for a completely different reason. Ororo wanted her back because in the younger’s words, ‘you’re my older, green-haired sister! I need you!’ Jean, on the other hand, had a different problem all together; Madelyne Pryor. 

Madelyne had apparently stolen the spotlight in the mansion. Not only did she have the same powers as Jean, she wasn’t afraid of them. Jean knew she was powerful; knew she could cause some real damage and didn’t want that. She didn’t want to become what she always feared she would. Madelyne used her powers with no remorse. 

“ _Everyone misses you, though,_ ” Ororo complained and Lorna swore she could hear the pout from Georgia. “ _Besides, the new girl, the one that Jean hates? I’m pretty sure she’s trying to move in on your man._ ” Lorna frowned. 

“Ororo, I don’t _have_ a man.” 

“ _Wait, you and Alex aren’t together?_ ”

“What?” Lorna laughed. “No!”

“ _But you had sex, like, ten times when you were here._ ” 

“Hate to break it you, honey, but it was a lot more than ten.”

“ _Um, that’s gross. Well, if you two aren’t together, at least Jean can calm down now. She was pretty sure that Madelyne was going after Scott, not Alex, at first,_ ” Ororo gossiped. “ _I think Scott had a bit of a thing for her, but I’m not sure if it was for Madelyne herself, or because of how much she’s like Jean. They both have red hair, the same powers. It’s weird, Lorna._ ” She agreed. The similarities between Jean and Madelyne were eerie. 

“ _You’re talking to Lore? Hand me the phone,_ ” a deep voice echoed through the phone and Lorna knew it was Alex. 

“ _You have her number, asshat. Call her yourself,_ ” Ororo argued. There was some scuffling, a few muffled curses before the winner came through the speakers. 

“ _Was she telling you about Madelyne?_ ” Alex questioned. 

“Yes,” Lorna confirmed. “What do you think of her?” 

“ _She’s powerful; scarily powerful. I’d hate to see what would happen if she and Jean ever fought._ ” Lorna couldn’t dispute that. She thought the same thing. There’d be devastation left in their wake. “ _But, she’s also interesting and funny. I kind of like her, Lore,_ ” he confessed. 

“Go for it, Al,” she encouraged. “If you think she could make you happy, then do it.” She paused when her other line rang. “Just a second, Al.” She glanced at the caller ID and tensed. “I’m going to have to call you back.” 

“ _Okay,_ ” he answered, sounding confused at the serious tone her voice shifted to. They hung up and Lona accepted the call. 

“ _Good, you know how to follow directions._ ” 

“’You call, I answer’,” she parroted. “What’s going on, Fury?” 

“ _Pack a bag for a few days; you’re getting called in. Coulson will be there to pick you up in an hour. Be ready._ ” The phone call disconnected, and Lorna took a deep breath. This was it. She ran to her room, almost knocking Sonya over in her haste. The redhead followed her into her room and just watched as Lorna quickly grabbed a duffle bag and was tossing things in. 

“Are you going somewhere?” She questioned. 

“Yeah, I’ll be gone for a few days,” Lorna answered distractedly as she tossed a spare toothbrush and toothpaste in the bag, followed by some deodorant. 

“You just got back,” Sonya protested. “Does this have to do with what you can’t tell us?” Lorna nodded. Sonya sighed and quickly grabbed her green-haired friend in a hug. “Just be careful and come back soon. It’ll be weird with both Marcos and you gone at the same time.” Marcos still helped out the Underground, but he had moved in permanently with Carmen a few weeks previous. Without Lorna holding him back, their relationship took off. She was surprisingly happy for them and couldn’t wait to do the same. 

Sonya walked out of the room, most likely do tell everyone that Lorna was leaving, as she was zipping up her bag. She looked over at an untouched bag in the corner. Inside was a custom-made suit from Hank. It was similar to the X-Men suit, but tighter and it reminded her of the skintight cat suit Romanov wore, and it was all black with dark green accents. Erik had woven metal through the seams so she could lift herself up without putting so much pressure on the metal bands usually worn around her wrists. The boots that came with it were steel-toed, but also had steel in the half-inch high heels as well. It would make any blow more devastating to her foe. She contemplated for a heartbeat longer before snagging the bag along with her duffle and looking at the time. She had ten more minutes before Coulson would be there, but knowing him, he was already waiting. 

Lorna hurried out of her room and exited the building after saying a few quick goodbyes. She felt a little bad leaving John by himself again, but she was also thinking of asking Clarice to take her place. She loved what she did with the Underground, but she had basically abandoned them for five months; something that none of them deserved. They needed a better leader than her. Someone who was focused and driven. Someone who would give their all to their cause; Clarice was that. 

She was lost in thought and didn’t even noticed she passed the barrier until she smacked into a car. Knocked out of her daze, Lorna noticed it was the same unmarked SUV as before and Coulson was waiting by the backdoor. “I’ve been here for ten minutes,” he said in greeted. 

“Fury told me I had an hour,” she retorted. “It’s only been fifty minutes.” He moved back and silently held open the door for her before climbing into the passenger seat. “What’s going on? Fury didn’t tell me anything over the phone.” Instead of answering, Coulson tossed back a few files. There was one on Romanov, Barton, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers – “Captain America is alive?” She breathed, leaning forward in excitement. Coulson’s lip twitched, as if he was fighting a smile. 

“Yes,” was his clipped answer, but Lorna felt he wanted to say so much more. There was another file on Doctor Bruce Banner and one on a man named Loki. The further she got in the reading on him, the more she realized that he wasn’t a human man; he was basically a God. The same one from Norse mythology. She read some more on him and then moved on to what he had stolen; the tesseract. There wasn’t a lot of information on it, but there was enough for her to gather that was an energy source of some kind that an astrophysicist named Erik Selvig had been studying. Most of what he wrote in his notes went over her head, if she was being honest. She loved science growing up and she had to know at least a bit of physics when using her powers, but she didn’t know a damn thing about astrophysics. 

She rubbed her eyes tiredly and looked out the window to see them on the same airstrip from before. “Where are we going?” She asked, getting out the car and following Coulson to a jet. 

“New York; we’re picking up Stark.”

~~~

“Security breach!” Stark shouted while sitting on a couch with a very pretty redhead.

“Phil,” the redhead greeted warmly, moving towards them with a smile. 

“Phil?” Stark muttered in distain. “Uh, his first name is ‘Agent’. And her hair is green,” he commented, looking surprised after noticing her standing behind Coulson. 

“You have something blue shining through your shirt,” Lorna responded, motioning towards the arc reactor nestled in his chest cavity. 

“Yeah, it’s my-”

“I know what it is, I thought we were just stating the obvious,” she sassed. 

“Now that you two have met, Stark, meet Lorna Dane. Dane, meet Stark.” They nodded to each other in greeting. 

“I’m Pepper Potts,” the redhead said, holding a freshly manicured hand towards Lorna. She shook it lightly. 

“Lorna Dane.” Miss Potts tilted her head slightly, curious. 

“Green hair is a bold fashion statement.” Lorna lifted her shoulder in half-hearted shrug, trying for indifferent. 

“A bit of a side-effect from my mutation,” she replied airily. Miss Potts’ shoulders stiffened a bit and she seemed to suddenly become wary of the mutant. 

“You’re a mutant?” Stark asked excitedly. When Lorna nodded, Stark started firing off questions. “What’s your mutation? Is that why you’re here? About the Avengers Imitative? Fury wanted a mutant for more fire power?” He paused. “Are you _actual_ fire power?” 

“No, I’m not actual fire power. My mutation is ElectroMagnetokinesis, not fire manipulation.” 

“So, metal manipulation. That’s kind of more badass in my opinion.” Lorna raised a dark eyebrow in amusement. 

“Glad to meet your expectations.” 

“Is this about the Avengers?” Miss Potts questioned, moving her attention from Lorna to Coulson. “Which I know nothing about,” she added quickly.

“I thought that was scrapped,” Stark piped in, looking over the files Coulson handed to Miss Potts, who gladly handed them over to Stark.

“Didn’t know that, either.” 

“Besides, I thought I didn’t qualify; I’m volatile, self-obsessed, don’t play well with others.”

“That I did know,” Miss Potts said, shooting Lorna a quick wink. Stark called her over and they spoke lowly for a couple minute before sharing a kiss. “Any chance you’re heading by La Guardia?” 

“As a matter of fact, we are,” Coulson answered, moving to meet Miss Potts by the elevator doors. 

“How are things going with the cellist?” 

“Didn’t work out.” 

“Boo,” the redhead pouted, pushing the button for the bottom floor and slipped on some flipflops she had grabbed from the floor. As they rode the elevator down to the first floor, Lorna studied her dark green polished nails in boredom. Where was the action? 

A few hours later, Lorna was dropped off on a Helicarrier while Coulson left to go pick up Captain America. Romanov walked towards her in civilian clothes, her emotionless mask on full display, and her hair was cut shorter; a little above shoulder length, and even her usually icy blue-green eyes seemed colder. “Dane,” the redhead greeted. 

“Romanov,” the dark green-haired mutant replied back. “I heard about Barton; I’m sorry. How are you holding up?” 

“He’s not dead,” Romanov snapped. Lorna raised an eyebrow. 

“I’m aware, but the man who has him under control is the one we’re going up against; that means we’re going up against Barton,” she explained. “Just wanted to make sure you understood that I was sorry. It’s rough knowing your family is on the other side of that line.” She shouldered the bags she packed and moved passed the assassin and to find an unoccupied room to stay in for the time she was there. 

She found one a few minutes later, double checking some drawers and the closet to make sure there were no clothes strewn about before she decided to claim the room as hers. “Good, you found a room,” Fury’s deep voice echoed through the silent room. Lorna turned her head and saw him standing in the doorway, looking just as intimidating as always. 

“Fury,” she greeted coolly, leaving her suit out on her bed for when she needed it. She was pretty sure she wasn’t about to get any sleep. 

“Meet me up top in five,” he ordered before turning and stalking down the hallway. Lorna finished getting her things situated before following the order and heading outside to meet everyone. Instead of seeing Fury, however, she saw Romanov making her way to a confused looking man who Lorna realized was Doctor Bruce Banner. 

As she got closer, she realized that Coulson was back and heading towards Banner with Captain America in tow. Jesus, he was fucking ripped. She met them as Coulson was doing introductions. “Captain Rogers, meet Agent Natasha Romanov, Doctor Bruce Banner, and Lorna Dane.” Lorna waved a bit and Romanov let out an unimpressed, “hi,” in the Captain’s general direction. Lorna wasn’t surprised; as a Russian, she didn’t grow up hearing the stories about the heroic Captain America. 

“Captain,” Banner greeted, reaching out to shake his hand. 

“I heard you can help us track down the cube,” Rogers said after a firm pump with his hand. 

“Is that the only word you’ve heard?” Banner questioned timidly making Lorna raise an eyebrow curiously. This man is the Hulk? Seriously? 

“The only one I care about,” Rogers retorted with a small smile. Movement erupted around them, Agents moving to tie down jets and other things that could fall off the side. What was happening? 

“We should probably take this inside,” Romanov suggested, not the least bit phased as engines started whirring around them and it hit Lorna that they were about to go airborne. “It’s going to get a bit hard to breathe.” 

“Is this a submarine?” Rogers questioned, moving to the side of the Helicarrier. 

“They want _me_ in a submarine?” Banner questioned, slowly following the Captain to the edge. Romanov and Lorna shared a brief amused glance as they watched the two men figure it out. “Oh, no, this is much worse.” As they slowly started rising, they all entered the Helicarrier and made their way to the bridge where Fury was ordering them to disappear. Lorna watched one of the monitors showing reflective panels activating to make it seem like they were invisible. 

“Okay, that’s pretty cool,” she admitted to Romanov in a low tone making the redhead smirk. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rogers looking around in amazement and hand Fury a ten-dollar bill he had just pulled out of his wallet. Fury pocketed the bill with a smirk.

“Thank you for coming, Doctor,” Fury said to Banner. 

“Thank you for asking nicely,” Banner replied. “How long will I be staying?” 

“Once we get the tesseract, you can be in the wind again.” 

“We’re accessing every wirelessly accessible phone on the planet and anything that’s connected to a satiate,” Coulson supplied from where he was leaning at a station, looking at multitudes of video from phones and cameras. 

“Call every lab you knew and tell them to give us access to spectrometers and calibrate them for gamma rays,” Banner ordered, sliding off his jacket and rolling up his shirt sleeves. “I’ll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. We can at least rule out of few places.” 

“Romanov, escort Doctor Banner to his lab,” Fury ordered. 

“Follow me, Doc, we got all the toys,” Romanov said, leading Banner down the hall. 

“I’ll go with them,” Lorna said, speaking for the first time in a minute. In all honesty, Rogers made her nervous. He was from a time where mutants had to hide in fear and probably would’ve been shot on sight because no one understood what mutants were. He was a wild card and Lorna didn’t like it. Fury nodded his consent and tossed her a comm. The dark green-haired mutant quickly caught up with the doctor and the Russian, slipping the small device into her ear. 

As they reached the lab, Romanov made her leave, leaving Lorna alone with Banner. Not that she minded. She happened to enjoy Banner’s quiet nature and just watched quietly as the man set everything up and went about his algorithm. “So, why did they bring you in?” Banner questioned. 

“I’m the muscle,” she joked. 

“I can see that,” he deadpanned back. She smiled and raised her hand floating the tool he was reaching for just out of his grasp. He blinked up at her in shock. “You’re a mutant?” 

“Did the green hair not give it away?” 

“Kids these days,” he shrugged. “I can never tell anymore.” 

“Yes, I’m a mutant. I have ElectroMagnetokinesis,” she explained, dropping the tool in his still waiting palm. 

“Like that one guy – Lehnsherr, right? The mutant activist?” 

“Yeah, he’s my father,” she admitted. 

“My condolences,” he said without missing a beat, typing away at the computer in front of him. Lorna barked out a surprised laugh, not expecting the snark from the quiet man. She really enjoyed his sense of humor. 

“ _Dane, you copy?_ ” Romanov’s voice cut through the quiet and into her ear. Lorna placed her finger on the comm to answer. 

“I copy- what’s up, Romanov?” 

“ _Loki has been spotted in Germany. I’m leaving with the Captain to apprehend him. Stay with the doctor and make sure he keeps working on finding the cube._ ” 

“Roger that,” Lorna answered back and then looked up to see Banner glancing at her curiously. 

“What’s happening?” 

“Loki was spotted in Germany,” she said. “Rogers and Romanov are heading that way now to get him.” 

“Shouldn’t you be going with them?” Lorna shook her head. 

“No, I shouldn’t be used until absolutely necessary. People wouldn’t handle seeing a mutant on TV right now very well, even if I am helping,” she explained. Banner nodded in understanding and went back to work.

~~~

A few hours later, they were back with Loki in tow as well as his brother, Thor, and Stark. “Looks like we missed the fun, Doctor Banner,” Lorna joked as they all entered in the bridge, sans Stark. He was probably getting his suit taken off. After everyone took a seat, Rogers started things off.

“Loki wants to drag this out,” he assured. “Thor, what’s his plan?” 

“He has an army called the Chitauri,” Thor supplied. “They are not of Asgard nor of any other world known. He will lead them against the Earth’s people and once he wins Earth, they get the tesseract.” 

“So, that’s why he needs Selvig,” Banner concluded. “He’s building another portal.”

“Selvig?” Thor questioned, looking surprised. 

“He’s an astrophysicist. Loki has him under some kind of mind control,” Romanov said. “Along with one of our own.” 

“He’s a friend,” Thor added solemnly. 

“Why would Loki let us take him? He’s not leading any armies from his cell,” Rogers pointed out. 

“We shouldn’t be focusing on Loki. His brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell the crazy on him.” 

“Have care with how you speak,” Thor warned. “Loki may be beyond reason, but he is still of Asgard and he still my brother.” 

“He killed eighty people in two days,” Romanov deadpanned. Thor seemed to pause for a moment. 

“He’s adopted,” he finished lamely. Lorna let out a sigh and rubbed at her temples lightly. She’d been a room with most of this ‘team’ for less than five minutes, and she could already feel a headache coming on. 

This whole thing was going to go down in flames. She could feel it.


End file.
